Doug Geed, News 12 anchor in Long Island, left, and Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at The Egg in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Ted Blazer, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, left, and John Howard, Gov. Cuomo's staff member, right, converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at The Egg in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins in April holds the growth in state spending below the 2 percent that's stood as his benchmark for past budgets — reflecting both continued austerity efforts and the governor's desire to find the nearly $500 million required to fund tax relief.

Under the plan, growth in state operating funds spending would be held to 1.7 percent. Growth in "all funds" spending, which includes federal dollars that flow to the state, would be held to just 1.3 percent — excluding "extraordinary" federal aid related to the rollout of the Affordable Care Act and recovery from Superstorm Sandy.

Cuomo envisions the first of the commercial casinos to open as early as January 2015 and calls for 10 more staffers at the New York Gaming Commission to help regulate and select casino operators. The budget projects $312 million, coming mostly from casino licensing fees and increased bond proceeds to fund economic

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development projects.

As in past budgets, the plan for fiscal year 2014-15 includes some numbers for the following fiscal year. Taken together, the budget's tax reform and revenue actions would cost the general fund a net of $489 million in the coming year and $1.25 billion in the 2015-16 fiscal year. The costliest item in the list of tax reform proposals is the $400 million property tax freeze ($976 million in the following year), which would benefit taxpayers in localities that keep their own budgets within the rate of inflation. A more rapid phaseout of the 18-A assessment would cost $200 million this year and the same amount in the next.

Schools, Medicaid

Spending on Medicaid and school programs would grow by 3.8 percent, or $807 million. For education, increases would come as an additional $682 million in school aid, $25 million in performance programs ($20 million in a bonus program for "highly effective" teachers); and $100 million in the first installment of funding for universal Pre-K education. In what's seen as a parry to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Cuomo would devote a total of $1.5 billion in Pre-K funding statewide over the next five years, without seeking a tax on high-earning New Yorkers to pay for it.

State spending on higher education would grow by just 0.8 percent, or $26 million.

Campaign financing

While the briefing book includes three pages on "Restoring Public Trust," there is no cost given for Cuomo's most controversial proposal: the implementation of a public financing system for campaigns similar to the one now in operation in New York City. The plan does provide $5.3 million to establish an independent enforcement entity — led by a Chief Enforcement Officer appointed by the governor — within the state Board of Elections, upping its enforcement staff from the current 18 to 29.